We look ahead to the UK’s largest trade event for leisure professionals, now entering its 28th year

A single word sits on the tip of every leisure operator’s tongue: skills. And that – the continued development of the leisure workforce – is inextricably linked with the availability of top-class education, both through key delivery partners and the events calendar.

Leisure Industry Week (LIW) is keen to contribute to this agenda. Backed by a sector-specific marketing campaign, as well as partnerships with key delivery organisations and a world-class speaker line-up, LIW 2016 will deliver six education streams.

HEALTH
Backed by sporta, the national association of leisure and cultural trusts, the health education stream will focus on the impact of physical activity on the nation’s health, as well as the role that the sport and leisure industry is able to play in driving change.

The health education stream will focus on everything from paediatric wellness through to GP referrals and increasing exercise programmes for our ageing population.

The seminar programme will also highlight the benefits of integrating physical activity into everyday life, and how the industry can benefit commercially from an increased emphasis on health practices such as physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, rehabilitation and more.

The link between leisure, physical activity, health, medicine and fitness should be closer than ever – and the health education stream will deliver a programme that should ensure a stronger bond exists between all the relevant industry professionals.

FITNESS
Listen and learn from the industry’s finest educators, coaches and professionals: fitness professionals of any level will come away from LIW with practical knowledge and skills that can be applied in their role.
The fitness stream consists of three pillars: The Fitness Business School, Practical Coaching, and the Gym Operators’ Conference.

Fitness Business School
Designed to build business acumen among fitness professionals, The Fitness Business School allows delegates to learn from the most prominent coaches and educators – with more than 200 years’ of experience between them – who have developed their own businesses successfully and are ready to share.

It will enable delegates to develop and shape their careers thanks to high-quality advice, round-table discussions and cutting-edge information.

Delegates will be offered a rounded view of the industry, exploring some of the available career paths and gaining an understanding of how to drive a fitness business forward. Topics will include how to gain more clients on a commercial gym floor; understanding social media; and how digital media has broadened the scope of opportunities that are available to fitness professionals.

Practical Coaching
Targeted at fitness professionals, including PTs, fitness managers and nutritionists, Practical Coaching at LIW will deliver a world-class line-up of industry figureheads discussing the practical application of training and nutrition.

Via a series of two-hour workshops, delegates will learn from people such as nutrition and behavioural change specialist Gary Mendoza; fitness entrepreneur Jamie Alderton; and the founder of Mac-Nutrition, Martin MacDonald.

Practical Coaching is designed to address and improve industry standards from beginner to advanced level, with a clear focus on the implementation of evidence-based information to improve performance on a day-to-day basis, whether in a facility or online with clients.

Operators’ Conference
The Operators’ Conference will host top speakers discussing broader industry issues and trends, such as retention, digital marketing, team management, secondary spend and business performance.
In a packed two-day schedule, attendees at the conference will hear from the likes of Raja Saggi, head of B2B marketing at Google; Nick Eastwood, deputy chair at Wasps Rugby Club; and Sol Orwell, a seven-figure entrepreneur and co-founder of Examine.com, a resource on nutrition and supplements.

The Operators’ Conference should be top of the list for any operator wanting to improve workforce development, boost profitability, drive down costs and stay abreast of industry trends and developments.

SPORTS
The sports education stream will focus on two main themes: encouraging sporting participation and developing sports facilities.

Delegates will discover workshops with a host of leading brands, providing practical tools and tips for increasing sports awareness and participation via new groups and demographics. The programme will also tackle the often daunting process of facility development, offering advice on planning, material selection and multi-use considerations.

The sports education stream is ideal for people working in the sports industry or looking to add sports to their business. The seminars are designed to attract delegates from National Governing Bodies, schools, universities, sports clubs, sports facilities, local councils, gym chains and golf clubs, as well as functional training specialists, strength and conditioning coaches, groundskeepers and sports coaches.

PLAY
Delegates interested in the play education stream will come from varied industry sectors, including hotels, campsites, schools, councils, visitor attractions, country parks, adventure parks, activity centres, academies and many more areas.

This education stream will tackle the issue of inactivity through the medium of play, offering practical insight into how play businesses can become a primary outlet for physical activity with both children and adults.

Delegates can explore seminars on differentiation, branding, market diversification, safeguarding and training needs. The play education stream will explain the importance of play to all ages and backgrounds, as well as the need to create facilities for active and game-based play. It will also provide operators with the tools to attract new audiences and boost profitability.

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Delivered in partnership with the Facilities Management Forum and Sport & Leisure Facilities Forum, the facilities management education stream is devoted to aspects of the design and layout of facilities.
Delegates will leave armed with the knowledge they need to drive down costs and increase operational efficiency in their own facilities, as well as with case studies and examples they can draw on to improve customer experience.

Featuring topics and discussion on entry systems, energy efficiency, booking software, lighting, flooring, layout and planning, the facilities management education stream is ideal for facilities managers, procurement teams, architects, interior designers, specifiers, pool maintenance professionals, IT professionals, cleaners and operations managers.

SPA & WET LEISURE
With its focus on increasing swimming participation and improving operational efficiency, the spa & wet leisure education stream targets pool operators, gyms, waterparks and spas, as well as leisure trusts and councils, coaches, pool designers, pool maintenance professionals and engineers. In partnership with STA, RLSS and SPATA, the stream will deliver seminars on swim class programming, water treatment, filtration and more.